Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from December 2003, page 3

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from December 2003

USA: BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED CONTRACT TO PROCURE DIGITAL TRANSPONDER.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to the DoD., BAE SYSTEMS Information and Electronics Systems Integration Inc., Communication, Navigation, Identification and Reconnaissance, Greenlawn, N.Y., is being awarded an $8,636,265 modification to a...

USA: BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED CONTRACT TO PROCURE INTERROGATOR SET MODE.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to the DoD., BAE SYSTEMS Information and Electronics Systems Integration Inc., Communication, Navigation, Identification and Reconnaissance, Greenlawn, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,144,974 modification to a...

USA: LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED CONTRACT TO PROVIDE MUNITIONS DISPENSER KITS.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to the DoD., Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control-Orlando, Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a $53,450,422 firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide for 3253 Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser Tail...

JORDAN: TOTAL BANKING CREDIT INCREASED.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the value of the total credit granted by the operating commercial banks in the Kingdom grew to JD...

JORDAN: FOREIGN CURRENCY-DENOMINATED CREDIT ROSE.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the value of the total foreign currency-denominated credit granted by the operating commercial...

JORDAN: TRADE SECTOR RECEIVED JD 1.365 BILLION CREDIT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the local general trade sector received JD 1.365 billion worth of credit from the operating...

JORDAN: CONTRACTING SECTOR RECEIVED JD 803.7 MILLION CREDIT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the local contracting sector received JD 803.7 million worth of credit from the operating...

JORDAN: SERVICES SECTOR RECEIVED JD 313.7 MILLION CREDIT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the local public services and enterprises sector received JD 313.7 million worth of credit from...

JORDAN: TOURISM SECTOR RECEIVED JD 173.8 MILLION CREDIT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the local tourism, restaurant and hotel sector received JD 173.8 million worth of credit from the...

EGYPT: GOVERNMENT PUMPS $200 MILLION TO RESCUE TEXTILE SECTOR.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), the Egyptian government has recently pumped $40 million to rescue the local textile and spinning sector, which is presently facing bankruptcy risks. The government...

EGYPT: LOCAL TEXTILE SECTOR SUFFERED HEAVY LOSSES.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently prepared report by the Egyptian Industry and Energy Committee of the Egyptian Parliament estimated the losses incurred by the local textile and spinning...

EGTYPT: TEXTILE AND SPINNING SECTOR EMPLOYS 30% OF LABOR FORCE.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), official sources estimate the number of the public sector's textile and spinning companies in Egypt at 26 companies categorized under three holding companies. In...

EGYPT: EGYPTIAN-MOROCCAN PROJECTS DISCUSSED.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper (December 31, 2003), the Egyptian-Moroccan Joint Commission is scheduled to meet in Cairo in mid January. The committee will mainly discuss establishing three Egyptian-Moroccan...

GULF STATES: UGB SIGNED ALLIANCE WITH DOHA BANK.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Al-Hayat newspaper (December 31, 2003), the United Gulf Bank (UGB) of Bahrain, the investment and banking arm and subsidiary of Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO), and Doha Bank of Qatar have recently formed an...

SAUDI ARABIA: HIGHER DEMAND FOR SECURITY EQUIPMENT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Al-Hayat newspaper (December 31, 2003), the demand for security, safety and rescue equipment by the governmental associations, banks, hotels and companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia grew remarkably in the...

SYRIA: WHEAT COMPANY LOST SP 12 BILLION BECAUSE OF EXPORT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Teshreen newspaper (December 31, 2003), market sources revealed that the Syrian Wheat Company lost SP 12 billion in 2003 because of wheat export. The same source added that the government loses twice because...

SYRIA: SPINNING COMPANY FACES MARKETING PROBLEM.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Teshreen newspaper (December 31, 2003), the Syrian Spinning and Weaving General Company in Damascus is complaining about serious marketing problems due to the lack for appropriate and qualified marketing...

SYRIA: FABRICS PRODUCTION OF SPINNING AND WEAVING GENERAL COMPANY ESTIMATED.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Teshreen newspaper (December 31, 2003), the Director General of the Syrian Spinning and Weaving General Company in Damascus, Mr. Zoheir Ali, said that the company produced 8,615 meters of crude fabrics since...

LINES OF EPIC 3 TO CALL AT MUNDRA INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TERMINAL (to improve flow of export containers from India and benefit shippers from Gujarat and North India).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The member lines of Europe, Pakistan and India Consortium are scheduled to call at the Port of Mundra International Container Terminal in Gujarat from 17 Dec 2003. CMA CGM, Contship Container lines and P and...

SHIPPING TONNAGE GETS BOOST, FREIGHT RATES RISE TO RECORD LEVELS (gross registered tonnage at 6.62 million on 1 Dec 2003).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The shipping sector has recorded a marked rise in shipping tonnage at 6.62 million gross registered tonnage (GRT) as on 1 Dec 2003. This is against 6.43 million GRT on 1 Jul 2003 and 6.18 million GRT on 31...

SHIPPING MINISTRY CONTEMPLATES REOPENING MUMBAI-KARACHI LINK (direct link to reduce time to move cargo from five days to two days and cost will decrease by 30%-50%).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The Ministry of Shipping, Government of India plans to reopen the sea-borne trade link between Mumbai and Karachi ports. The idea has been put forth by a section of shipping lines, exporters and importers to...

L and T, DREDGING INTERNATIONAL BAG ORDER AT SHELL'S HAZIRA TERMINAL (dredging to facilitate ships containing liquid natural gas (LNG) to anchor at the terminal).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Shell Hazira Gas Private Limited (SHGPL) has roped in Dredging International and Larsen and Toubro (L and T) to dredge its Hazira terminal. The dredging is to facilitate ships containing liquid natural...

JN PORT CROSSES 2-MILLION TEU MARK, ACHIEVES PREMIER POSITION (India's largest container handling facility manages about 60% of the box traffic).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The name of Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP) has been added to the elite list of ports that have handled two million twenty feet equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo. It handled its two millionth container in December...

"WHILE JNPT GETS FEEDER SERVICES FROM INDIA'S WEST COAST PORTS AND KARACHI, EAST COAST PORTS STILL (Shipping Corporation of India registers joint venture company at Malta with Iran-O-Hind and Irisil).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) receives feeder services from the ports in India's western coast and also from Karachi. But ports on the Eastern coast such as Kolkata and Tuticorin depend on Colombo...

"WE NEED TO RECONSIDER OUR TAXATION SYSTEM. THE BUNKERING INDUSTRY HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IF SUPPORT. . (high rate of taxation makes bunker fuels expensive at Indian ports thus making full potential of sector unused).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is the market leader in the bunkering business with a 60 percent market share. It supplies approximately 0.44 million metric tonnes (MT) per annum of bunker fuel to vessels at...

CASE FOR MEGA MERGERS (merger of JNPT and NSICT to make it a global hub and capacity can be increased to 1,700 TEUs per metre).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The merger of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) would make it a global hub, on the lines of global hub-and-spoke system. The country also needs...

THE RISING (multi-purpose all-weather Mundra Port to handle 38 million tonnes of cargo by 2008-2009).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Mundra Port located in the Gulf of Kutch on the Western coast of India is a private port promoted by the Adani group of Ahmedabad. It has been in operation for four years and is a multi-purpose all-weather...

OIL ALL THE WAY (India accounted for 15% of global vegetable oil imports during 2002-2003).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) India has emerged as a major importer of edible oils accounting for 15 percent of global vegetable oil imports in 2002-2003. This is attributed to growing consumption levels. During 2001-2002, India...

VALUE STOP (Maersk Logistics India's value added services are based on the one-stop shop concept).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Maersk Logistics India commenced its value added services (VAS) operations in 2002. VAS is a critical link between customer and the vendor. The one-stop shop is the primary idea in VAS. Maersk's...

MANNING THE FUTURE (Fleet Management Limited establishes a simulation centre to train shipping crew).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Fleet Management Limited (FML) is a leading ship management company operating 85 ships from Hong Kong. It began operations in 1994 and has now established its own crewing offices at Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi,...

UNISTAL'S B'LORE and MUMBAI OFFICES (Bangalore office will cater to sales, support and marketing of data care products in the South).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Unistal Systems has opened two new regional offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, as part of its expansion plans. The Bangalore office will mainly cater to sales, support and marketing of data care products in...

GOVERNMENT, CORPORATES THROW UP NEW HOPES (Government of India to spend Rs12,000 crore on IT infrastructure till 2007).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The Government sector, corporate companies and educational institutes are expected to emerge as the biggest spenders in information technology (IT) in 2004. The Government of India, which will spend...

THE RETURN OF THE CORPORATE BUYER (banking, insurance, education, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing make large investments in IT).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Banking, insurance, education, corporate, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing sectors are making large investments in information technology (IT). The emerging trend is indicative of high profitability for...

EDUCATION-NEW ENTRANT BUT PROSPECTIVE (schools and colleges are spending in dial-up connections, cable Internet and leased lines).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The education sector is fast emerging as a major spender on information technology (IT), owing to its fast-growing user base. Schools and colleges are spending in dial-up connections, cable internet and...

EMERGING MARKETS: PROMISING OPPORTUNITIES (Kochi, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Ludhiana offer opportunities for IT vendors).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) C and D class cities, which are catching up on the information technology wave, are opening up huge opportunities for the channel partners. Some of the cities offering uptapped potential are Kochi,...

Sinopec Corp cooperates with China Railway Material & Supplier Corp.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Press Release) On 31 Dec 2003, Sinopec China Railway Marketing Co performed an opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the People, with the act representing the mutual benefits and common development...

Hoffmann-La Roche to build new production facility.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) Swiss Roche Group will build an advanced new production centre for diagnostics based on polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The facility will be build in Branchburg, NJ in...

Stallergenes increased research budget by 40% in 2003.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) French company Stallergenes (leading in the segment of specific immunotherapy) achieves a turnover of EUR 360 M/y and a market share of 21%. Turnover has been growing by...

Genset transforms into Serono Genetics Institute.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) French company Genset in Evry near Paris (genomics) changed its name to Serono Genetics Institute. The parent company, Swiss Serono Group is restructuring this subsidiary...

Aventis Pasteur invests in vaccines.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) The global market for vaccines is growing by around 12%/y and global turnover with vaccines is forecast to increase from EUR 7.8 bn to EUR 20 bn in 10 years time. French...

FDA approvals. Lexiva.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) GlaxoSmithKline in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina received approval for the pharmaceutical Lexiva (fosamprenavir-calcium) from the US Food and Drug...

FDA approvals. Raptiva.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) Genentech received approval for Raptiva (efalizumab) from the US Food and Drug Administration to treat chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults over 18 years...

Bayer restructures.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German Bayer AG in Leverkusen plans to concentrate on healthcare, nutrition and high grade materials and will restructure into 3 operative divisions (Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and...

FDA approvals. Namenda.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) Forrest Laboratories received approval for Namenda (memantin) to treat medium to severe Alzheimer dementia from the US Food and Drug Administration. The drug has been...

BASF expands capacities.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German BASF AG in Ludwigshafen, Huntsman (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd in Singapore and their Chinese partners Shanghai Hua Yi (Group) Co, Sinopec Shanghai Gao Qiao Petrochemical Corp and Shanghai...

Pongs & Zahn enters the stock market.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German Beteiligungsgesellschaft Pongs & Zahn AG in Berlin entered its subsidiary Ponachem AG on the Frankfurt stock market in Dec 2003. The plastics manufacturer Ponachem will enter the...

Bayer expands production activities in China.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German Bayer AG will further expand its activities in China with the construction of a new polycarbonate production (Makrolon) facility at the site in Caojing (50 km south of Shanghai). The...

Repsol YPF's strategic plan for 2003-2007.
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Oilgas) Repsol YPF's strategic plan for 2003-2007 was recently announced. The plan is based on financial discipline, business excellence, increasing production profitability and increasing the...

Petroleum products consumption in Spain: September 2003 and January - September 2003.[1 table].
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Oilgas) During Sep 2003, 5.872 M tonnes of petroleum products were consumed in Spain, 4.3% higher than during Sep 2002. Fuel oil consumption rose by 9.4% to 1.143 M tonnes, whilst LPG consumption fell...

Petroleum products: Spanish exports and imports for September 2003 and January - September 2003. [1 table].
December 31, 2003... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Oilgas) During Sep 2003, Spanish petroleum product imports amounted to 2.074 M tonnes, 17.1% more than for Sep 2002. The largest increase in imports was for petrol (+115.9%), whilst the greatest decrease...

COLOMBIA: BANCOLOMBIA ACQUIRES AUTO LENDER.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) Colombia's largest bank Bancolombia has acquired local auto-financing company Suramericana de Financiamiento Comercial (Sufinanciamiento) for US$27 million, the bank said. The local auto financing business has improved...

JORDAN: INDUSTRIAL SECTOR RECEIVED JD 797.1 MILLION CREDIT.
December 31, 2003... (From InfoProd) According to Addustour newspaper (December 31, 2003), a recently publicized report by the Central Bank of Jordan shows that the local industrial sector received JD 797.1 million worth of credit from the operating...

END OF PPP? (Government of India to discontinue purchase preference policy in equipment supply for power projects).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Government of India introduced the purchase preference policy (PPP) in 1992 to give a ten percent edge to public sector companies (PSUS) over foreign players for the supply of capital equipment to power...

AIC PLANS NEW FARM INSURANCE PLAN (scheme likely to save the Government of India Rs10,000 crore annually).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AIC) proposes to launch a farm income insurance plan in Apr 2004 that would save the Government of India around Rs10,000 crore a year. The scheme is intended...

RICE EXPORTS TO DECREASE IN 2004, REPORTS FAO (projected to decline by 4% to 26.3 million tonnes in 2004).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has projected that rice exports in 2004 are likely to decline by 4 percent to 26.3 million tonnes. Major buyers attribute the phenomenon to an anticipated fall...

THE CONTRACTED COLA (Pepsi Foods develops seed banks and nurseries to provide plants to farmers in Punjab).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Pepsi Foods is engaged in contract farming activities in Punjab based on a unique model. The company initially puts in plenty of research about the nature and amount of inputs required and the local...

AN EPOCH UNION (Indian business houses are taking greater interest in agriculture and contract farming).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The recent increased interest in corporate farming by business houses like Tata Rallis, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) and ICICI is attributed to the higher demand for convenience foods in...

FARMING FAST FOOD (McCain takes up potatoes and lettuce farming on a contract basis in India).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) McCain India is the international supplier of agricultural produce to MacDonald's, the fast food major. McCain has taken up potato farming on a contract basis in Gujarat. It is now buying 2 varieties of...

BANK ON IT (ICICI Bank makes a successful foray into contract farming in association with Tata Rallis and Mahindra and Mahindra).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) ICICI Bank ventured into contract farming in 1999-2000, when it started the Corporate Linked Farming Assistance (CLFA) programme. It began with the cultivation of wheat in association with Hindustan Lever...

A POSEIDON ADVENTURE (the Mari culture or breeding selected varieties of fish on shore or offshore has great potential in India).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The Mari culture is a related activity of the fisheries sector, in which the farming of selected varieties of fish is carried on the shore or in coastal waters. This kind of farming is also practised in...

A TREAT BITTERSWEET (the sugar industry looks for bagasse based co-generation of energy and ethanol blending with petrol programme for added revenue).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The sugar industry in India is valued at Rs25,000 crore, with 4 million hectares of land under sugar cane cultivation. The average yield is 70 tonnes per hectare. The cumulative production between Oct 2002...

POLICY (foreign direct investment in the telecom sector declined by 97% to Rs330 million in 2003).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) According to a study conducted by Department of Telecommunications, foreign direct investment in the telecom sector declined by 97 percent in 2003 to Rs330 million. This is against Rs10.81 billion in 2002....

REGULATION (gross teledensity in the country is 6.48% and subscriber base stands at 64.77 million in Jul-Sep 2003).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published the performance reports of various telecom services in India for the Jul-Sep 2003 period. The gross teledensity of the country increased by 10.4...

LONG-DISTANCE SERVICES (BSNL to lease infrastructure from VSNL to provide international long-distance service to its subscribers).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) have reached an agreement by which BSNL will lease infrastructure from VSNL to provide international long- distance services (ILD) to its...

BASIC SERVICES (two million subscribers of MTNL and BSNL surrender their connections in first seven months of 2003-2004).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) About two million subscribers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) have surrendered their telephone connections in the first seven months of 2003-2004. It is estimated...

BASIC SERVICE-SUBCRIBER BASE (total subscribe base of private basic service providers was at 7.6 million as on 30 Nov 2003).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) The total subscribe base of private basic service providers in the country was at 7.6 million as on 30 Nov 2003. The break-up is as follows: one million wire line subscribers, 7,81,940 Wireless in Local...

CELLULAR SERVICE: BPL MOBILE (BPL Mobile to invest Rs5 million to expand network, infrastructure and augment capacity).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) BPL Mobile has drawn up plans to invest Rs5 billion to expand its network and infrastructure, besides increasing capacity in the next few months. The states set to receive the investment are Maharashtra,...

CELLULAR SERVICES: NEW CUSTOMERS (cellular industry adds 13,73,393 new subscribers in Nov 2003, taking the total number to 20.7 million).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) About 13,73,393 Indians became cellular subscribers in Nov 2003, taking the total number to 20.7 million. This is an increase of seven percent over 19.35 million in Oct 2003. The rise in metro circles in the...

BHARTI CELLULAR (to invest Rs500 million on telecom infrastructure in Delhi).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Bharti Cellular has decided to put in Rs500 million as investment on telecom infrastructure in Delhi. This takes its total investment in all the circles to Rs3 billion in 2003-2004. Bharti plans to install...

VIDESH SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED (VSNL enters into a tie-up with Asia Netcom of Hong Kong to lease its pan-Asia undersea cable system).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) has entered into a tie-up with Asia Netcom of Hong Kong to lease its pan-Asia undersea cable system. The 19,500-km long cable network offers 80 Giga bytes per second (Gbps)...

ESCOTEL (debt-cum-equity deal of $80 million between Escotel and IFC fails to take off).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) International Finance Corporation (IFC) had agreed to invest $80 million as debt-cum-equity to fund Escotel's cellular operations. The deal has however failed to take off because Escotel was unable to raise...

TATA TELESERVICES LIMITED (currently has 12 million subscribers and is set to operate in 17 circles).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) is set to expand its services in a big way and is launching its services in 11 new circles. It has applied for unified access licence for its operations in the existing circles...

ERICSSON (is a major player in the country's cellular revolution and in the CDMA business).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Ericsson India Private Ltd is the Indian subsidiary of the Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer. It holds a 40 percent market share in Global System for Mobile (GSM) systems and an over 75 percent...

NOKIA (is set to have two new divisions of multimedia and enterprise).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Nokia is the world's leading manufacturer of mobile phones and it currently has two divisions, namely mobile phones and systems maker. It has taken up a major restructuring programme after which two new...

INTERVIEW WITH CONNY KULLMAN (Intelsat's satellite communications play a vital role in the broadband market).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Intelsat is a global connectivity major with an integrated satellite network called GlobalConnex solutions. It comprises Internet trunking, international private line and video solutions that combines the...

IN CONSOLIDATION MODE (BPL Communications acquires 49 percent stake of AT and T in BPL Mobile Cellular Ltd).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) BPL Communications has acquired the 49 percent stake of AT and T in BPL Mobile Cellular Ltd (BPMCL). BPL now proposes to restructure its investor holdings and continue its investment in network...

WHAT'S NEW IN THE MARKET (MCorpGlobal ties up with Internet telephony service provider for voice over Internet protocol-based service).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) MCorpGlobal has entered into an alliance with an Internet telephony service provider to offer voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)-based service. The service named SpiceRing will route long-distance calls...

BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD (announces a number of schemes to enable people retain their connections).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) In a bid to persuade people to retain their connection when moving on to another state, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has done away with the shifting charges collected initially for transferring an existing...

AIRTEL (SMS charges for customers in Western region reduced to 40 paise).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) AirTel, the cellular brand of Bharti Group, has launched a new scheme called InnoWest for its postpaid customers in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Under this scheme, SMS...

PRIVATE SECTOR-DABHOL PROJECT (Naresh Chandra Committee suggests finding a new sponsor for DPC who will pay off debts and complete project).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Naresh Chandra Committee has proposed a four-pronged strategy for solving the Dabhol problem. The Committee suggests dedollarisation of the offshore lenders' debt of $1,044 million. This does not include...

PRIVATE SECTOR-RELIANCE ENERGY LTD (Reliance exits from 375-MW power project at Ghogha near Bhavnagar in Gujarat).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Reliance Energy Ltd (REL) has decided not to pursue the 375- megawatt (MW) power project at Ghogha near Bhavnagar in Gujarat. REL was interested in utilising petcoke from its Jamnagar Refinery as fuel...

PRIVATE SECTOR-RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LIMITED (RIL offers free natural gas to NTPC; asks venue of capacity addition to be shifted to Kakinada).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) wants the Ministry of Power, Government of India to change the venue of the proposed 1,950-megawatt (MW) capacity addition in Kayamkulam in Kerala to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh....

PRIVATE SECTOR-TATA POWER COMPANY (TPC's installed capacity to go up to 2,750 MW after it acquires 100 percent stake in DNHPC).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) In a bid to increase its generating capacity, Tata Power Company (TPC) has acquired 100 percent stake in Duncans North Hydro Power Company Ltd (DNHPC). DNHPC is building a 330-megawatt (MW)...

PRIVATE SECTOR-CESC LTD (seeks fast-track clearance from WBPCB for the third unit of its 250-MW Budge Budge plant).
December 31, 2003... (From India Business Insight) CESC Ltd is putting up a third unit of its 250-megawatt (MW) Budge Budge plant, for which it is seeking fast-track environmental clearance from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB). CESC is...